In the late Sixties a fireball struck the town of Pederson, Illnois granting fantastic powers to the 113 children who were in utero at the time of impact. They grew up as the world watched. Labeled the Specials by the Media, their powers were monitored and catalogued by the United States Government. Public perception of them changed often. Were they the future of mankind? A scourge? A random occurrence? Heroes? Villains? Role models or simply caricatures? What would be their impact on culture and society? They were a waried as kids and adults ever are; some were more powerful, some less. As adults they became many things: a policeman, a corporate symbol, a singer, an assassin, a writer, a painter, a thief, a preacher. Some found celebrity, some notoriety, while others simply went to work and raised families like everyone else. But they all carried inside them a seed of something great. Something special. Something that made them stars. As their epic stories unfolded, there were other stories as well...of their lives and the lives of those around them. This book is about those stories. Collected here are the short stories about the Specials, a bit about their beginnings, a bit about their middles and just a little bit about their end.

    Deputy Bently Wanted a Plumb Peacful Vote—So He Had to Blast a Crook to Hell-an-gone! 1800 Words Wild West Weekly, September 6 1941 LORD FAUNTLEROY Western Verse by S. Omar Barker 400 Words Thrilling Western, November 1935 HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR WEST? Feature Quiz 200 Words This edition features 15+ images between illustrations to the stories and features, in-house ads, covers to the pulps that published these and what-not.

    The horror of nature is dwarfed by the terror of a man who would toy with it.

    John Byrne's Fantastic Four endeavors end in era-transcending odysseys when the World's Greatest Super-Team ventures into the Negative Zone, a remade past, and a future sculpted around the FF itself Plus, the death, life, and rebirth (not necessarily in that order) of Doctor Doom Guest-starring Nick Fury, the Avengers, and the Beyonder Collects Fantastic Four #287-295.

    In this breathtaking volume by "the King of Comics, " Jimmy Olsen's highly popular adventures from the early 1970s are beautifully reprinted. Showcasing his creative genius, Kirby used these monumental stories of Superman and Jimmy Olsen to introduce his Fourth World mythological epic. Featuring the first appearance of Darkseid, these groundbreaking tales forever revolutionized the art of storytelling across all genres.

    Untreated, they fester and grow into the diseases of fear, uncertainty and hopelessness. Unaided, the law is blinded by bureaucracy and bound to a justice bent toward the protection even of the criminal. The face of a kinder and gentler nation is destroyed, carved into a harlequin's mask; a grim skull. And the wielders of the scythe laugh, secure in the knowledge that their crimes will go without punishment.They are wrong. In the urban jungle, there is one who stands alone and apart; one who lives not for the law, but only to see justice done. The Punisher reaps a different harvest.Once, he was Frank Castle, loving husband and father. A tour in Vietnam had shown him what war was. Part of him died there, but a precious part stayed alive, determined to return to the family he loved, and the peace and freedom that was his America. Part of him held on to live, until his family died in a hail of mob gunfire, victims of the wrong place and wrong time.Daily, criminals greedily cut their portions from the souls of the weak and weary, the foolish and the frightened. One man senses how the guilty feed like parasites on the heart of the American Dream. One man hears when evil laughs at the law. One man sees clearly that the most powerful criminals have placed themselves above the law. One man has become their judge, their jury.One man has become their Punisher.

    There's a new Merc, with a new Mouth - but who is she? What could make her want to inherit a codename from Wade Wilson? And are there still chimichangas in 2099? Some or all of these questions may be answered - and new ones will be posed! Find out if there's a Zenpool 2099, catch up with one of Wade's old teammates, and choose your side in a battle for the right to be Deadpool, in this collection of sci-fi shenanigans from the world of tomorrow! COLLECTING: DEADPOOL 6, 12, 19, 25

    What does the future hold - and how will it all end? Collects X-Men: First Class Finals #1-4.

    It's a new beginning as four time Eisner-nominated Best Writer Ed Brubaker makes his Marvel debut, joined by white-hot artist Steve Epting! As the new regular creative team, they will take Cap's life in directions fans will never see coming! In just this first issue, the Red Skull lays the groundwork for his most devastating attack ever on Captain America and the land he holds dear...and with the Cosmic Cube in his possession, how can Cap hope to stop him? Find out in the shocking twist-ending that will have everybody in the industry talking!

    The biggest story in DC history ties into literally every DC story ever told – and it all begins here. Kingdom Come, Red Son, Wild West Justice League, Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew – all the worlds you remember can still be found on Telos. Everything matters. Every story matters.

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    Captain Marvel was re-introduced to fans in the pages of the hit '99 series Avengers Forever, which became an instant classic.From the pages of the hit Avengers Forever comes an instant classic: Captain Marvel. Son of the legendary Mar-Vell, Genis continues the legacy left by his Kree-warrior father. There's a catch, though, since Genis shares a body with Rick Jones, longtime Avengers ally. Only one of them can exist on Earth at any given moment. Hijinks ensueRick is trying to figure out what his life holds for him. He's trying to work things out with his estranged wife, Marlo, and trying to understand what it means to be a hero.Genis, on the other hand, is trying to acclimate to Earth, Rick, and a world full of dangers. Will this unlikely duo be able to get along long enough to save the world??Collects:- Captain Marvel (2000) #0-#6

    Bonding with the alien enhances her already considerable abilities, and aids in her escape, but it begins to alter her mind! On the run from the very people that made her, can X-23 hold it together or is she doomed to give in to Venom!

    Will Yellowjacket triumph over his inner demons - or crumble under the pressure of being an Avenger?COLLECTING: AVENGERS (1963) 212-230